We Midwesterners have a reputation of being hard workers. I think this is partly because we mimic the land we live on. We follow the lead of the plants and animals around us.

Your preserve visits this summer immerse you in green — surrounded with plants operating at peak performance. On a preserve, all around you, energy is being captured and transformed into growth. Animals are reproducing and growing. In just one season, insects are churning through numerous generations. Life is exploding and thriving.

Even if only subconsciously, we notice the productivity of our forests, wetlands and agricultural fields around us. The land is teaching us to be productive too: to capture energy, to put it to good use.

ACRES preserves land formany reasons. Your own reasons are likely diverse. Perhaps a new reason to consider is how our land helps makes us who we are, productive Midwesterners. By preserving the land, we preserve the collective personalities of those who live on it. Our land both sustains and influences us.

Thank you for recognizing that land is worth preserving—for all the reasons!